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GET RIPPED IN 12 WEEKS

TEAM FLEX

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Veiny. Grainy. Striated. Shredded. Cut. Ripped to the bone. Whatever it’s called, it’s a condition any bodybuilder wants to achieve in his quest for mass. After all, why build reams of new muscle if you’re just going to walk around likea bloated puffball, never showing it off?

If you’ve achieved some appreciable size and you’re ready to take the proverbial chisel to your physique, we’ve got the program for you. The comprehensive strategy laid out over the course of this article gives you a training regimen for the next 12 weeks, rep by rep, as well as a dietary and supplement plan. It takes a number of factors into account, all with the ultimate goal in mind: getting sliced.

* Intensity Burning bodyfat is the overriding goal of this program, but that doesn’t necessarily mean cardio overload -- in fact, cardio is pretty minimal, as you’ll coax your body to burn fat by manipulating your weight-training workouts. * Variety Your training changes every two weeks; your diet every four. It’s our way of ensuring that you keep your metabolism revved up and that you carry through on the full program to reap the benefits. * Diet and training integration The food and supplements you take are geared specifically to support training. Instead of the shot-in-the-dark approach that many other so-called fat-loss programs take, we’ve assimilated the latest research and proven tactics to supercharge this program to get results.

THE TRIPLE THREAT COMBO | The Get Ripped Program comprises three main components -- exercise, diet and supplementation. Here’s a brief overview of each.

* EXERCISE The training system is divided into six two-week cycles based on a progressive high-low rep scheme. You’ll adjust the amount of weight you use to correspond with the number of reps performed, but you should push yourself and use as much as you can handle and not an ounce less. The idea is to keep the level of intensity consistent as your body deals with the varying reps. Also, note that rest periods between sets decrease as you progress through the program. By using this technique to gently coax your heart into staying at an elevated rate, you will boost your fat-burning capabilities and improve your aerobic capacity, as well.

Finally, peppered throughout the workouts are “accelerators.” Think of these as add-ons you can use to intensify your program; they include such devices as forced reps and rest-pause techniques. Accelerators can boost the workload on days when you’re ready to do serious battle with the iron.

* DIET The 12-week diet plan is cut into three four-week segments, each one consisting of differing ratios of macronutrients. The human body is an amazingly adaptable machine, and as such can work with reasonable efficiency under a variety of circumstances.

In the first phase, your diet comprises a 30/60/10 ratio of protein, carbs and fats. Your body will become accustomed to using carbohydrates as its main source of fuel.

During phase two, protein intake is increased to 40% of calories, carbs are knocked down to 40% and fats are increased to 20%. With your body already percolating on 60% carbs, it will be in high-burn mode. Take away those carbs and it’s going to look elsewhere -- namely, fat stores -- for energy. Going into the second phase, the total caloric intake is cut by approximately 10%; the increased fat consumption at this time won’t get in the way of the leaning-out process.

In the final phase, protein and fat are boosted, while carbs and calories take a dive once again. By this time, your body is being subjected to as many as 30 reps per set per workout, three days a week.

* SUPPLEMENTATION The supplements included here correlate with the goals of each phase. In phase one, a steady supply of green tea will keep your metabolism humming and provide you with the antioxidants your body needs to support your immune system as you beat up on it six days a week in the gym. It also includes calcium, which has been shown to have fat-burning effects.

Phase two includes Bacopa monnieri and evodiamine; both help boost metabolic rate. In phase three, when cravings will be your enemy, you’ll use hoodia to blunt hunger pangs. Of course, you should keep up with your normal supplement regimen of multivitamins/multiminerals, protein shakes, etc., while you’re following this program.

Only the February issue of FLEX, available on newsstands now, has the complete 12-week program featuring training charts, meal and supplement plans for each phase of this 12-week Get Ripped program.